Citizen Complaints, Regulatory Violations, and their Implications for Swine Operations in Illinois

In this paper, statistical and economic analyses are used in identifying, analyzing, and modeling the relationships among citizen complaints, swine production and community characteristics, EPA inspections, and regulatory violations. The primary results of this research include assessments of factors that affect citizen complaints and factors that affect the probability of regulatory violations. In addition, the analyses also provide statistical results of a comparison of the efficiencies of different types of site inspections in regulatory violation detection. Our results provide information valuable for understanding issues surrounding the development of the swine production industry and local communities.Institutional and Behavioral Economics,

MANURE VALUE, PRICING SYSTEMS, AND SWINE PRODUCTION DECISIONS

Based on a swine producer's profit maximization model in which manure value and packers' live market weight pricing systems are considered, the optimal farm inventory and optimal hog market weight are simultaneously solved for scenarios generated from the combination of two crop rotations, two forms of manure storage, two levels of manure incorporation, and two nutrient application standards. First, our results suggest that manure value has a significant impact on the optimal farm inventory as well as on the profitability of an operation. The optimal size of operation identified is quite large and varies considerably among the scenarios. Our results indicate that shallow pit buildings with lagoons can support a larger operation scale and require less acreage for manure dispersion than systems with slurry basins. For slurry basin systems, manure applications with immediate incorporation are more profitable than applications with no incorporation. Second, our results show that the optimal hog market weight is insensitive to benefits and costs of manure handling and application, reflecting a dominant influence of the pricing system on a producer's hog marketing decision. Finally, our results show that though more acres are needed for manure application when a P standard is applied in a corn-soybean rotation, still a P standard is economically advantageous to swine farmers and this standard also makes better use of manure nutrients.Livestock Production/Industries,

VARIABILITY IN GROWTH, PIG WEIGHTS AND HOG MARKETING DECISIONS

Variability in pig growth is an intrinsic characteristic of swine production. The optimal marketing strategies are identified to minimize the negative economic impact of variability for a typical all-in-all-out swine finishing facility using a recent pricing matrix and data featuring swine production in the Midwestern region. Our results show that compared with marketing all pigs from a 1,020 head barn on the same day, marketing pigs in six truckloads on different dates as groups of pigs grow to more optimal size significantly improves the profitability of production as variability increases. This finding is in line with recent producer response to new pricing matrices that prove stronger price incentives for marketing more uniform pigs. We also find that studies on optimal marketing strategies without taking into account variability in pig weights can result in exaggerated optimal marketing weights and profits of production. Growth variability management and marketing strategies continue to be essential to the economic viability of the swine industry.Marketing,

EVALUATION OF SWINE ODOR MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES IN A FUZZY MULTI-CRITERIA DECISION ENVIRONMENT

The paper evaluates swine odor management strategies using the fuzzy extension of the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), which is a multiple criteria decision making approach based on fuzzy scales. The evaluation is conducted using data from our cost effectiveness study of odor management strategies and our on farm studies relating odor to various management practices. These strategies include manual oil sprinkling, automatic oil sprinkling, wet scrubber, diffusion-coagulation-separation (DCS) deduster, pelleting feed, and draining shallow pit weekly. The criteria employed to evaluate the strategies are odor reduction efficiency, costs, nutrients in manure, and other benefits. Two producer profiles are considered: (a) producers who are pressured to achieve maximum reduction in odor emissions; and (b) producers who are constrained with limited financial resources. Both of these profiles are reflective of current situations for some producers. The results show that, as the scale fuzziness decreases, the preference of the first producer profile over the strategies from high to low is DCS deduster, pelleting feed, automatic oil sprinkling, manual oil sprinkling, draining pit weekly, and wet scrubber while the preference of the second producer profile is draining pit weekly, DCS dedusters, automatic oil sprinkling, wet scrubbers, pelleting feed, and manual oil sprinkling.Livestock Production/Industries,

The Costs of Human Salmonellosis Attributable to Pork: A Stochastic Farm-to-Fork Analysis

Few farm-to-table analyses of the risk pathways for foodborne illnesses exist, and no such analysis exists for the case of salmonellosis and pork products. This paper presents a Monte Carlo simulation model of the US pork system and the transmission pathways of Salmonella. For the year 2000, we estimate the cost of illness attributable to porkborne Salmonella at $45.7 million, with an estimated 43,505 cases of salmonellosis attributable to pork occurring annually.Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

DO ANTIBIOTICS REDUCE PRODUCTION RISK FOR U.S. PORK PRODUCERS?

Production risk from live weight variation of market pigs has become a more important concern in U.S. swine production. Packers are concerned about the variation in carcass size because of the demand for standardized cuts and the use of automation in the slaughter process. Swine producers care about standardized pigs because of revenue implications and possible links to animal health and productivity. Pig size variation can be due to various condition and inputs including antibiotics. However, discussions on risk reduction from antibiotic use have generally not been considered. Our work extends previous studies by systematically examining the aspects of production risk reduction and highlights the potential results of banning antibiotics from a risk perspective. Using data from National Animal Health Monitoring System 2000 survey data and PigCHAMP, we identify the relationship between antibiotic use and production risk by an econometric model. Applying production costs for feeder to market pigs and a price matrix, the uncertainty in profits is evaluated. The impacts of risk on the decision making of swine producers are examined under the framework of expected utility and stochastic dominance analysis. Our results show that production risk from weight variability of market hogs is important in determining profits and utility under a pricing system. Production risk (i.e. weight gain variability) is related to the use of sub-therapeutic antibiotics. Swine producers could decrease production risk and enhance utility by adjusting antibiotic use. These results offer some support for optimal use of sub-therapeutic antibiotics.production risk, antibiotics, swine, utility, stochastic dominance, Livestock Production/Industries, Risk and Uncertainty, Q10, Q12, Q14.,

AN ECONOMETRIC ANALYSIS OF THE ECONOMIC CONTRIBUTION OF SUBTHERAPEUTIC ANTIBIOTIC USE IN PORK PRODUCTION

There is growing concern among public health experts regarding the diminishing efficacy of antimicrobial therapy in human and veterinary medicine, and some have called for a ban on subtherapeutic antibiotic use in pork production. This paper develops an econometric analysis to identify the economic contributions of subtherapeutic antibiotic use in swine production.Livestock Production/Industries,

The Economic Impact of High Consequence Zoonotic Pathogens: Why Preparing for these is a Wicked Problem

Abstract: This paper reviews literature on the economic impacts of outbreaks and control strategies for high consequence zoonotic priority diseases, ie. zoonotic diseases that are generally FADs, zoonotic diseases that occur rarely, or zoonotic diseases that have bioterrorist potential sufficient to be important for the United States. Such diseases are referred to here as zoonotic priority diseases (ZPDs). These ZPDs are categorized into three levels of economic impact: high, moderate, and low with the recognition that there are aspects of each of these diseases that could make the categorization presented here inaccurate. Arguments are made for why determination of optimal ZPD and more generally FAD preparedness and response strategies are wicked problems. The paper concludes with the implications for further development of appropriate ZPD policy and some needs for further analyses

THE INFLUENCE OF SALMONELLA IN PIGS PRE-HARVEST ON SALMONELLA HUMAN HEALTH COSTS AND RISK FROM PORK

Salmonellosis in people is a costly disease, much of it occurring because of food associated exposure. We develop a farm-to-fork model which estimates the pork associated Salmonella risk and human health costs. This analysis focuses on the components of the pork production chain up to the point of producing a chilled pork carcass. Sensitivity and scenario analysis show that changes that occur in Salmonella status during processing are substantially more important for human health risk and have a higher benefit/cost ratio for application of strategies that control Salmonella compared with on-farm strategies.Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

Farm-Level Impacts of Banning Growth- Promoting Antibiotic Use in U.S. Pig Grower/Finisher Operations

Antibiotics have been used by pig producers for several decades, and are now used routinely. This study documents the current productivity and economic impacts of the use of antibiotics for growth promotion (AGP) by pig grower/finishers at the farm level. We evaluate the impacts of an AGP ban, and use of AGP by all pig grower/finishers for 61S90 days (a more production-efficient level), using data from the National Animal Health Monitoring System Swine 2000 Survey. Findings indicate that pig productivity improves with AGP. Relative to current use, an AGP ban would decrease producer profits by $1,400 per 1,020-head barn, and profits would increase by$1,992 for each grower/finisher barn when AGP is fed for 61 to 90 days. There is increasing concern about the use of antibiotics in animal production, partly because of the selection for antibiotic resistance. Thus, a careful examination of the value of AGP in pork production is warranted.antibiotics, antimicrobial resistance, growth promotion, pigs, production, Agricultural and Food Policy, Health Economics and Policy, Livestock Production/Industries,